Origin and Ideological Moorings of Hamas

Abstract

Abstratct – Hamas an acronym for an original Arabic name Harkat al-Mokwama al-Islamiya, which means „Zeal‟ was officially founded on 14 December 1987 but its origins can be traced back to the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood which was founded by a school teacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who has been considered as the founder of Hamas was active in Palestinian politics since 1970s. Greatly influenced by the ideas and teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin formed an Islamic Society in 1976. By 1978, he felt the need for a bigger and better organization to promote Islamic values in the Palestinian society. This thought led him to establish Islamic Compound. However, Maktura incident of Jabaliya refugee camp was an immediate cause for the formation of Hamas.